Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Hello, welcome back to the P.P.I. How are you? This is officially the last entry of 2008, kids. Today's interview is with guitarist Dan Nowicki, AKA Fogdan. Someone once said I should go by Fog Junior once but that's just stupid. Anyway, pholks, here's Dan.

Me: Welcome, Dan, to the Phile. Can I call you Dan, or should I call you Fogdan?

Dan: Just Dan, my friend.

Me: For most readers of the Phile, it's probably way obvious why you are called Fogdan, but for those that have no idea, please tell the readers the story about the name.

Dan: Back in the 70’s. Remember the 70’s ? I saw Foghat a lot and for my friends it’s Foghat this and Foghat that. They said man Fogdan. So it stuck and I used it.

Me: I saw a picture of you and Rod Price (original member of Foghat). Where was that picture taken and how was it meeting him?

Dan: Wow. That picture was taken February of 2001 in Cleveland, Ohio after Dave had passed and Rod was playing and promoting his solo CD "Open". I was living in Toledo, Ohio at the time. Born and raised. He played and between sets he sat with me and my better half and talked about everything. What ever was on our minds. I was not playing music at the time and he asked why not and offered to teach me. He gave me a lesson that night and offered more and at the time I was working a lot and could not make the time. By the time I had time… Well it was too late.

Me: What were you doing when you first heard about my father's passing, and then Rod's?

Dan: Man. Foghat.com was posting shows just about every day so every morning I would check the site to see if Ohio was in the works and they posted the news about Dave. It just blew me away. Dave’s music just makes me smile and move my feet. ("Tight Shoes"). As for Rod and with his passing. We kept in touch by email and we were shooting back dates that would work to get together for him to teach me more and the time never came about due to his passing. That’s what you get when you put things off. I miss his friendship. It’s not what I could have learned from him but the way he talked his family and friends. He would shoot me an email about so and so did this and that and he asked what’s up with me and keep playing.

Me: Have you seen Foghat in concert since my dad passed away? What did you think? And you can reply honestly. We're very honest here at the Phile.

Dan: Okay, here is where the Fogdan name comes in. Total Foghat shows. 31. Show’s with your dad 25 and 6 shows with the new line up. First of all I had to let go that Dave and Rod are gone and it will never be the same. So it’s a band getting on without Dave. Whoever picked Charlie made the right choice. I like the new line up. From the "Family Joules" CD to the live shows. The spirit of Dave is living on. I see them backstage and they are having a blast. Is it the same for me? No, but it’s still is a great show.

Me: Okay, let's talk about you. You live in Colorado, right? How is it living there?

Dan: Cool. I moved out here in 2004 to take a job with Adams Aircraft to build new planes. The view is awesome. Lot’s to do out here.

Me: What does your family think of your playing? I bet they support you 100%, right?

Dan: My family has all passed and I have no children but my better half’s family likes it.

Me: What is your choice of guitar to play? I think you are playing a Gibson Les Paul in your photo.

Me: I sampled your music, and like the styles. On a few songs there's a female singer, who has a pretty voice. Who is she, and how did she get the job?

Dan: She found me on Myspace. A great blues and jazz singer in the UK. We were talking one night on how she never did anything but blues and jazz. She had some songs she wanted to do without her band. I sent her some basic rhythms and some idea’s. She recorded vocals and sent them back to me and I mixed and finished the songs. She got her 5 songs she wanted and I got 5. What a great way to work.

Me: Your new CD is called "Instrumental Nights". Is it a full instrumental album? Do you sing as well as play guitar?

Dan: Yes. It was made with TV and film in mind. One song was picked up for TV use. I wanted to try instrumentals to get my feet wet and try to find myself and where I want to go with this. I have 8 blues rock songs written where I will try to sing them. I am waiting for the right band members to do these songs. They are Foghat style songs. I would love to have a full time female singer. I think that would fit my style and where I would like to go with my music.

Me: You have a pretty good band, playing harmonica and piano. Who is in your band?

Dan: Solo… Nobody else yet. Some guy’s from open mic night did harmonica and piano. Looking to put that fun group together.

Me: I am happy to see that you have all your music on iTunes, Dan. Where else can someone buy your music?

Dan: Amazon and CD Baby or get a hold of me at myspace/fogdanboogie and email me and I can send it to you direct.

Me: What is a typical Fogdan show like? Do you do any Foghat covers?

Dan: When I do get this band going it will be like a rockin blues show. Three Foghat covers I would love to do. "Boogie Motel", "Fools Highway", "Talk To Me Baby".

Me: Speaking of Foghat again, here's a question I ask all the people I interview. What is your favorite Foghat song?

Dan: I get this a lot. It depends on my mood. That’s why I loved Dave’s music so much. But one song comes to mind that always gets me going. "Sarah Lee".

Me: Well, Dan, is there anything else you would like to say to the Peverett Phile phans? What do we expect in 2009 from Fogdan?

Dan: 2009 will be busy. New CD 26 tracks called “So Far…” will be out. It will have all of my songs plus TV and film songs. iTunes, Amazon and CD Baby will have it. Next will be getting out with a band. It’s time to rock out. Thank you and your Peverett Phile phans for this interview. This brought out some old feelings and now more than ever I am ready move forward and get out with a band.

Me: Dan, thanks for taking part with the interview. I hope to meet you in person one day. Keep playing and thanks for being a fan of my dad.

Dan: Jason, Thank you so much. It was good hearing from you. First your dad, then your mom, I know how it feels. I like what you are doing and I think mom and dad would be proud. Maybe it could be the house that Phile built. It’s not slow ride but if you keep it up who knows. Change what you need to and thanks again. P.S. I suck at writing and "Tight Shoes" is still a great album.

Yes, it is. That was a really good interview. Well, like I said this is the last entry of 2008. The next update will be on Phriday as normal and then on Saturday it's the Peverett Phile Interviews with Martin Stephenson. If this was the 80's it'll be my biggest interview yet. It was a total honor to interview Martin (even though I called him Matt). Anyway, thanks again to Fogdan, check out his music at iTunes and have a safe new years. Until then, spread the word, not the turd. See you in '09. Now all sing "Auld Lang Syne".

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Hello, can you believe another post with another interview? This is my biggest one yet, with an old friend, and a legend... Webb Wilder. So, phans, here's Webb.

Me: Hello, Webb, welcome to the Phile. I have known you for over fifteen years now, thanks to my dad. How have you been?

Webb: Hello! Well, I've been every way there is at one time or another over the last fifteen years! Seriously, I'm fine and appreciate you checking in.

Me: I am glad to see you are still rocking. For those that don't know you, what can you tell them about yourself?

Webb: Well, I'm just your every day, garden variety "burnin' god of love," you know... Been playin' in bands since the late sixties, recording since the early 80's at which time I guess I started touring around the world. Did some films, radio, rode a few horses. I'm from Mississippi which is sort of the "home office" of Blues and Rock and Roll. It's a good place to be FROM. Ya gotta leave to do anything in the music bidniss. I've been in Nashville since 1982 but, have never pursued a career in Country music. Born to rock, I guess.

Me: Do you still go by the Webb Wilder credo? The only part I remember is 'wear glasses if you have them'. Can you remind me on the rest?

Me: You live in Nashville right now, right? We go up there often. Do you get recognized walking around town?

Webb: I do get recognized but, mostly by people I know. I do have the occasional stranger come up and say something. It's nice. It's more mind blowing when it happens in other towns on the road which it does from time to time. Loved by DOZENS!

Me: I remember years ago you gave me a copy of your VHS called "Corn Flicks", which has a great play on name. Tell the readers what "Corn Flicks" was.

Webb: "Corn Flicks" was a collection of three short films, two of which I was in. There were some other bits in there as well. Those three films and lots more are currently available for the first time on DVD under the title of "Webb Wilder's Amazing B-Movie Shorts," through webbwilder.com

Me: You had eight CD's out over the years. What was your favorite album to record? My favorite is "Doo-Dad".

Webb: Well, there are 8 if you count the "Scattered, Smothered and Covered" collection. It contains material from other albums so, I've done seven, really. We're mixing the new one (which will be the 8th) now. "Town and Country" was the most fun to record for me. That doesn't necessarily make it the best. I'm very proud of all of them. "Doo Dad" was certainly singular. "Hybrid Vigor" was the only other major label "big budget" album. It came first so, I think a lot of lessons were learned on that one that were applied to "Doo Dad." The particular bunch of songs on "Doo Dad" and how they fit together to make the album are a big part of it's charm, IMHO. Thanks! Glad you like it.

Me: "Town and Country" was the last CD you released, as well as your Live DVD. Are you working on anything at the moment?

Webb: Actually, "Acres of Suede" came out after "Town and Country." I think it's a helluva record but, didn't get much attention because the little label(Watermelon) was beginning to go under just as it was coming out. "Acres" and "T & C" are both out of print now but, selections from each are on the "Scattered" collection on Varese Sarabande." Of course Blind Pig put out some of the material from the live DVD under the title, "Born To Be Wilder." It came out on Dixie Frog in France as "It's Live Time!" We are in the mixing stage of my first studio album since 2005's "About Time" now. It should be out on Blind Pig in the Spring.

Me: I heard you have a show on XM. What is that like?

Webb: I have not had a show on XM since the Fall of 2005 but, I was there for four and a half years. I was, in fact, one of America's first Satellite DJs. It was fun. Opened me up to worlds of things like e-mail!

Me: Your live CD "Born to Be Wilder" is finally released on iTunes, two years after the DVD came out. Is there a reason for that?

Webb: I don't know. Did it really take that long? Could it be that the songs were available for download but, only through Landslide's website prior to Blind Pig's involvement? I have no answer but, will look into it. Thanks.

Me: When was the last time you played in Central Florida, and most importantly, when are you coming back?

Webb: All I know is we were playing the Bamboo Room in Lake Worth and Skipper's Smokehouse in Tampa with some regualarity up until recently and I assume we will be going back to Skipper's. Not so sure about the status of the Bamboo Room. They were closed in recent months. Hope they reopen. Great club. We played in Key West last March, I think? We will doing a cruise in 2009 that departs from Miami in late February. It's called Cayamo: Journey Through Song. Lots of great people: Buddy Miller, Shawn Colvin, Lyle Lovett, Joe Ely, John Hiatt, Patty Griffin and MORE! Read all about it at webbwilder.com.

Me: One thing that I think is cool, you kept the same band together for a lot of years. Is there anybody you wish you could play with that you haven't?

Webb: Well, there have been comings and goings in the band. Jimmy Lester has been the drummer more often than not since 1985 and I'm proud to say he's with me today. Tom Comet has played bass and sung harmony since 1996. I always wanted to get Ian Maclagan (I'm a HUGE Faces and Small Faces fan) to record something with me. Maybe it can happen some day.

Me: My dad had a wonderful story about you when you both when guitar shopping in Washington I think it was. Do you remember that? And if so, I bet that was fun.

Webb: We were to play on the same bill on an outdoor show in Macon, GA. It got rained out. Your dad, myself and some of the others were kind of walkin' around town and saw an old Gibson SG Junior in a pawn shop. It was really nice but, nobody bought it. May have been a Sunday but, seems like they were open. None of us could spring for it and your dad was happy with his old Les Paul Juniors that he already had. It was fun though. The guitar would cost more today. That is a fact! WW

Me: I have to ask you about R.S. Fields. How did that partnership begin? And for those that don't know, explain who R.S. is.

Webb: Well there's only one Field. No "S". He hates that! There is only one R. S. Field as well! He's a one of a kind guy. We are both from Hattiesburg, MS. We met when I was about 14 and he was about 16. We belonged to the same church and had seen each other around before that. Apparently, his mother was my first Sunday school teacher! He was a drummer in some good bands. I was a younger bass player in worse bands! We just kind of saw things the same way and got on a muscial path together. He was always a very prolific writer which coupled with his destiny to become a great record producer helped get me wherever it is that I am today! He actually was the original Beatneck drummer before Jimmy but, bowed out after meeting Jimmy and hearing him play, asking him to take his p lace. He produced all the records up through the live one. I'm co-producing the new one with Joe V. McMahan who played guitar with me in the mid to late nineties. R. S. has worked with all sorts of people from Sonny Landreth to John Mayall. He continues producing and writing to this day.

Me: And finally, this question is asked to all the people I interview. What is your favorite Foghat song?

Webb: Well, it might be their version of "I Just Want To Make Love To You." Of course, "Slow Ride" and "Fool For the City" are classics. Always wanted to hear the whole album Dave Edmunds did on them. Was there more than one? On a related note, I liked the Savoy Brown "Street Corner Talkin'" album quite a bit. I especially liked "Tell Mama."

Me: Thanks, Webb, for taking time out to answer these questions. When we're in Nashville next, let's meet up for lunch. Stay in touch.

That was one of my best interviews yet. There'll be no interview tomorrow but on Tuesday come back for my interview with Fogdan. Yes, there's a guy called Fogdan. Until then, spread the word, not the turd.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Hello, welcome to another entry of the Peverett Phile Interviews. So, how are you? Today's interview is with a very talented singer, songwriter named Lindsay Rush, who will be posting her songs on iTunes any day now. So, phans, here's Lindsay.

Me: Hello, Lindsay. First of, I cannot wait to be able to download your music on iTunes. Any idea when that'll be?

Lindsay: HEY! I'M REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE MY FIRST ITUNES SINGLE, "STUDIO APARTMENT," COMING OUT! IT'S GOING TO BE OUT IN EARLY 2009. I DON'T HAVE THE SPECIFIC DATE YET, BUT I SHOULD SOON. IT WILL BE POSTED ON MY MYSPACE AS SOON AS IT'S SET. RIGHT NOW, THOUGH, THERE'S A SAMPLE OF THE SINGLE ON MYSPACE. COM/LINDSAYRUSH

Me: Where is Pennsylvania are you from? My wife is from Mechanicsburg, which is near Harrisburg. How is the music scene up there right now?

Lindsay: I'M FROM PHILADELPHIA, ORIGINALLY. WE'RE VERY LUCKY IN PHILLY, BECAUSE THE MUSIC SCENE IS VERY ACTIVE AND CLOSE-KNIT. EVERYONE SEEMS TO KNOW EVERYONE ELSE, REGARDLESS OF THE LEVEL OF FAME OR SUCCESS YOU'VE HAD. IT ALSO PROVIDES US WITH A REALLY CHALLENGING, BUT SUPPORTIVE ATMOSPHERE TO GROW UP MUSICALLY IN. THERE'S A LOT OF TALENT AND DRIVE.

Me: You just finished opening for Pat Benatar on tour. How was that? Was that your first tour?

Lindsay: I DID! THAT WAS ONE OF THE BEST EXPERIENCES OF MY LIFE SO FAR. THEY WHOLE BAND AND CREW ARE LIKE FAMILY. IT WAS A REALLY POSITIVE EXPERIENCE FOR ME. IT WAS MY FIRST FULL-OUT TOUR, AND MY FIRST TIME LIVING ON A TOUR BUS. ALSO MY FIRST REAL TIME AWAY FROM HOME ON MY OWN FOR THAT LENGTH OF TIME. I'M REALLY LUCKY TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO TAKE ALL OF THOSE STEPS IN SUCH A NURTURING, INSPIRING, AND COMFORTABLE ENVIRONMENT.

Me: Pat has her husband in the band, Neil Giraldo, and gets to travel with him. Do you have someone special that you travel with?

Lindsay: I TRAVEL WITH MY PRODUCTION MANAGER, WHO ALSO WORKED ON THE BENATAR/GIRALDO TOUR. SHE'S BECOME ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS. WE BOTH GOT TO EXPERIENCE A LOT TOGETHER WHILE ON THE ROAD THIS SUMMER, AND WE BECAME FRIENDS PRETTY QUICKLY. IT'S FUN TO TRAVEL WITH HER. SHE MAKES SURE WE NEVER MISS A FLIGHT! : )

Me: What did your parents say when you told them you were going off on tour through Spring and Summer? You look so young!

Lindsay: WELL, ACTUALLY, BEFORE I WENT ON THE ROAD FOR THE ENTIRE SUMMER, I STARTED BY TOURING WITH PAT AND NEIL FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS IN THE SPRING. FOR THAT LEG, MY MOM AND I JUST HOPPED IN THE CAR AND DROVE FROM SHOW TO SHOW. SO WHEN THE SUMMER TOUR CAME ALONG, WE ALREADY KNEW MOST OF THE PEOPLE I WOULD BE TOURING WITH, SO IT WASN'T REALLY UNKNOWN TERRITORY AS MUCH AS IT COULD HAVE BEEN. EVERYONE WAS REALLY EXCITED, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE AN OPPORTUNITY LIKE THAT IS VIRTUALLY UN-HEARD-OF FOR AN UNSIGNED ARTIST WITH NO MANAGEMENT OR ANYTHING. WE ALSO KNEW WHAT GREAT PEOPLE PAT & NEIL AND EVERYONE WERE, SO IT WAS REALLY A SAFE FEELING GOING INTO IT.

Me: On your website there's a picture of a woodburning kit. Is that you? When was that taken?

Lindsay: YEP! THAT'S ME! HAHA THAT WAS TAKEN WHEN I WAS ABOUT ELEVEN, I THINK. BEFORE I GOT INTO MUSIC PROFESSIONALLY, I SPENT THE FIRST PART OF MY LIFE ACTING AND MODELING AS A KID. THAT TOY IS A FUNNY THING, BECAUSE NOW, I'LL BE AT THE MALL OR SOMETHING WITH FRIENDS, AND WE'LL WANDER INTO THE HOBBY STORE, AND THERE IT IS!

Me: You seem to have become good friends with Lisa Loeb. How did that friendship come about?

Lindsay: I MET LISA IN 2005. I HAD ALWAYS LOVED HER MUSIC AND FOUND HER TO BE REALLY INSPIRING, MUSICALLY, AND IN BUSINESS. I SOMEHOW GOT UP THE NERVE TO JUST WALK UP TO HER AFTER A SHOW SHE PLAYED, AND ASK HER IF SHE NEEDED AN OPENING ACT AT A SHOW SHE HAD COMING UP AT RUTGERS UNIVERSITY. NEXT THING I KNEW, I WAS ON THE PHONE WITH HER MANAGER AND THE VENUE, TALKING OUT LOGISTICS! EVER SINCE THEN, SHE'S BEEN REALLY SUPPORTIVE AND IS FULL OF GOOD ADVICE.

Me: Lisa had a reality TV show a few years ago. If someone offered you a reality TV show, would you do it?

Lindsay: THAT'S SOMETHING I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT. I THINK WITH THE WAY TV IS NOWADAYS, IT'S SOMETHING MOST PEOPLE OF ENTERTAINED IN THEIR MINDS. IT WOULD OBVIOUSLY DEPEND ON WHAT THE SHOW WAS ABOUT. I WOULDN'T SAY "NO."

Me: You seem really busy with your songwriting, recording, touring and career. What do you do in your time you are not working?

Lindsay: WORK! HAHA THAT'S WHAT IT FEELS LIKE, ANYWAY. I'VE CHOSEN THAT LIFESTYLE FOR MYSELF THOUGH. I HAVE ABOUT TEN MILLION PROJECTS GOING ON RIGHT NOW - MUSICAL AND NON-MUSICAL. REGARDLESS OF WHAT I'M DOING, MY BRAIN IS ALWAYS GOING. I'M REALLY NEVER NOT WORKING COMPLETELY. I DO GIVE MYSELF DOWNTIME, BUT THE DAY ALWAYS INVOLVES A PHONE CONFERENCE OR TWO, A NEW SONG, OR AN IDEA THAT I NEED TO JUMP ON.

Me: You seem to have all your shit together, Lindsay (excuse the French). Who manages your music career? You do a very good job with publicity, and take some really good pictures... even though in one photo shoot you only remembered to wear a sweater. LOL.

Lindsay: THANKS! I DON'T HAVE A MANAGER OR AN AGENT, PUBLICIST, OR LABEL RIGHT NOW. I'VE DONE EVERYTHING FOR MYSELF UP TO THIS POINT. I'M A LITTLE BIT OF A CONTROL FREAK, BUT MOSTLY I JUST FEEL LIKE MY MUSIC AND MY CAREER ARE MY BABIES. THEY'RE MY EVERYTHING. HANDING IT ALL OVER TO SOMEONE TO MANAGE IN ANY WAY, WELL, THAT WILL COME. IT'S COMING QUICKER BY THE DAY, BUT ANYONE WHO ENTERS INTO THE PICTURE IN THAT WAY, KNOWS OFF THE BAT THAT IT'S GOT TO BE A TEAM EFFORT. A PARTNERSHIP. NOW, I'M LUCKY TO HAVE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE COME INTO THE PICTURE VERY RECENTLY, WHO UNDERSTAND THAT AND SOME GREAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING BECAUSE THAT METHOD WORKS FOR US.

Me: Your debut CD came out in 2005, when you were, what, nine? Like I said, you seem so young. What can you tell the readers of the Phile about that album?

Lindsay: HAHA NOT QUITE 9! I WAS MORE LIKE SEVENTEEN WHEN MY FIRST CD, "REAL LIFE" CAME OUT. I WOULD SAY, IF YOU'VE HEARD MY MORE CURRENT MUSIC, EITHER LIVE OR ONLINE, OR WHEREVER, THE FIRST CD IS COOL TO HEAR. IT DOESN'T REPRESENT ME MUSICALLY AT ALL. HOWEVER, I DID WRITE ALL OF THE SONGS, EXCEPT FOR ONE BEATLES COVER I DID ON THERE. SO I GUESS PEOPLE LIKE TO HEAR HOW MY WRITING HAS CHANGED, HOW I'VE GROWN AS AN ARTIST, ETC. I'M MUCH, MUCH, MUCH MORE HANDS ON IN THE PRODUCTION END OF THINGS TOO. NOW I KNOW THAT IT'S OKAY TO SAY "NO. I DON'T LIKE THAT. LETS DO IT THIS WAY INSTEAD." BACK THEN, I DIDN'T.

Me: Then you released an acoustic album called "Makeup Off" (which is a very clever name by the way). What made you do an all acoustic second album?

Lindsay: "MAKEUP OFF" WAS REALLY AN ATTEMPT TO GIVE FANS A CHANCE TO HEAR WHAT I SOUNDED LIKE COMPARED TO MY FIRST CD. I FELT THAT MY WRITING WAS DIFFERENT AND I WAS ALSO MUCH MORE INDEPENDENT AS A MUSICIAN AND AS SOMEONE IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS, WHICH WAS VERY IMPORTANT. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE COOL TO GIVE PEOPLE A CHANCE TO TAKE HOME WHAT THEY HEARD AT SHOWS, OR JUST TO LET THEM HEAR THE SONGS THE WAY THEY ARE WHEN I FIRST WRITE THEM - ACOUTIC, NATURAL, MAKEUP OFF.

Me: Here's a serious question... you are part of something that is very cool called... and please correct me if I get this name wrong... Alex's Lemonade Stand. Tell the readers what that is.

Lindsay: ALEX'S LEMONADE STAND IS A CHARITY THAT NOW LIVES ON IN MEMORY OF THE ORIGINAL CREATOR - ALEX - A LITTLE GIRL WHO DIED OF CANCER. SHE SOLD LEMONADE TO RAISE MONEY FOR CANCER RESEARCH. IN 2006, I BELIEVE IT WAS, I LAUNCHED A ONE-TIME CONCERT SERIES WHERE I PLAYED A FEW SHOWS TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE CAUSE. IT WAS FUN TO SEE PEOPLE COME TOGETHER TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. MAYBE I'LL DO THAT AGAIN SOMETIME. I LOVE TO DO ALL THE CHARITY WORK.

Me: You seem to have a few fan sites, Lindsay, even one from Germany. Does that creep you out? I am jealous, I don't have a fan site.

Lindsay: NO! IT DOESN'T CREEP ME OUT AT ALL! IT'S SO COOL. I APPRECIATE SUPPORT FROM ANYONE, ANYWHERE! I USUALLY CHECK THE SITES OUT WHEN SOMEONE LETS ME KNOW THEY'VE MADE ONE, AND THE WE MAKE SURE IT GETS POSTED ON MY SITE IN THE 'LINKS' SECTION.

Me: On your website you have links to Coldstone Ice Cream and Starbucks. What drink do you normally get there? Man, that was a stupid question.

Lindsay: THAT'S NOT A STUPID QUESTION AT ALL! HAHA IT'S A LOADED ONE THOUGH! LETS SEE...DURING THE SUMMER, I USUALLY GET AN ICED CARAMEL MACHIATTO OR AN ICED TAZO TEA. NOW THAT IT'S HOLIDAY TIME, I'VE BEEN MORE INTO RASPBERRY MOCHAS AND PEPPERMINT MOCHA TWISTS. I ALWAYS GET EXCITED WHEN THE HOLIDAYS ROLL AROUND AND STARBUCKS STARTS TO USE THE RED CUPS! SIMPLE PLEASURES...

Me: You seem to be associated with lots of different i.e. mpower, National Center for Missing Children and ChildHelp USA. What draws you to these organizations? I think it's cool that someone your age is connected with the community. I wish I was.

Lindsay: I'VE BEEN A NATIONAL SPOKESPERSON FOR MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA/MPOWER:MUSICIANS FOR MENTAL HEALTH, SINCE 2004. GROWING UP, I WANTED TO BE A CHILD PSYCHOLOGIST. AS I STARTED TO GET MORE INVOLVED WITH MY MUSIC, IT ALL STARTED TO COME TOGETHER IN A GREAT WAY THAT I NEVER COULD'VE PLANNED FOR. NOW, I GET TO TOUR ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, PLAYING SCHOOLS TO RAISE MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS THROUGH MY MUSIC! I REALLY LIKE TO BE A VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS, ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS.

Me: Okay, here's a question I ask all my interviewees... what is your favorite Foghat song?

Lindsay: HMMM...I REALLY DON'T KNOW. I'LL HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT ONE.

Me: If someone wants to start performing and start a successful music career like yours, what advice can you give them?

Lindsay: I CAN'T EXPRESS ENOUGH, HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO NEVER QUIT! IF YOU WANT IT BAD ENOUGH, YOU'LL STICK IT OUT AND KEEP TRYING NEW THINGS UNTIL SOMETHING WORKS. IF YOU'RE STILL PLAYING THE GAME AFTER GETTING KNOCKED DOWN HARD, YOU'LL KNOW YOU'RE MEANT TO PLAY!

Me: Are there any websites of yours, or organizations you wish to plug, and is there anything else you wish to tell the phans of the Phile?

Lindsay: DEFINITELY, PLEASE CHECK OUT MYSPACE. COM/LINDSAY RUSH. I'M ALSO ON FACEBOOK (JUST SEARCH LINDSAY RUSH-MUSIC), AND ALSO TWITTER.COM/LINDSAYRUSH I UPDATE ALL THE TIME AND I'M ALWAYS ON MY SITES READING MESSAGES AND STUFF. MY OFFICIAL WEBSITE, LINDAYRUSHMUSIC. COM IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION, BUT FEEL FREE TO CHECK IT OUT AS IT CONTINUES TO COME TOGETHER. ALSO CHECK OUT MYSPACE. COM/OFFICIALPATBENATAR FOR COOL UPDATES ON MY FRIENDS THERE! THANK YOU SO MUCH! THIS WAS FUN!

That was a sweet interview. I thought she was mad at me though as she typed all in capitols. Anyway, hopefully I will interview her again when her CD comes out. Tomorrow don't forget is my biggest interview yet... Webb Wilder. So, until then, spread the word, not the turd. Now I have to go to work.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Spicy food, are you swallowing, down my throat, curry is going, a very bad pain, it's hurtin' my brain, acid reflux is coming tonight. Gurd is what they call it, feeling ill is what I call it, I can't lie down, sitting up with a frown, acid reflux is coming tonight. Taking all the medicine I can take, wish I can have that cheese cake. The doctor says it's heart burn, I say I won't learn, but I will take a pill, hope it does the job, when I am ill. Later on, I'll throw up, as I bent over the toilet, to puke up the beer, thinking oh dear, acid reflux is coming tonight. Hi, phans, welcome to the Peverett Phile for another Phriday. How are you? This is the most updated blog on the internet. The Iraqi shoe guy has asked for a pardon from the Iraqi government. He doesn’t want to fight a court case, so he’s throwing in the towel. In a speech last week, President Bush said, “I didn’t compromise my soul to be a popular guy.” Dick Cheney said, “What’s a soul?” Barack Obama says he’s going to get to the inauguration by train. This comes as a surprise to a lot of people who thought that Obama was going to get to the inauguration by walking on water. Jim Carrey stars in a new movie where he can only say yes. That’s better than Liar Liar where he played a lawyer who told the truth. That’s about as believable as Mel Gibson playing a rabbi. Happy Hanukkah, Mel. Jim Carrey always plays in movies where he can do only one thing. In the new one, Yes Man, he can only say yes. Then he was a lying lawyer who ended up telling the truth. Then there were his movies where he was talking with his butt. So, did you all have a good Christmas? I got about 15 DVD's. Yeah! Logan got a Marshmallow shooter. With all the starving kids in Africa and the world, someone invented a toy that shoots food. I was afraid to get hit, I might get a migraine. I am allergic to marshmallow's. Logan also got a Wii. I still have no idea what that word means... Wii. Maybe the original name was Poo. Jen got a Wii Fit. That's what I call when I have to get up in the middle of the night to piss. Santa was foolish, he left his driver's license, and glasses in our house. Next year Logan wouldn't go for any of that. He is nine and I am surprised he believed any of the stories we told him. We watched Norad to see where Santa was, which is different then Gonad, which is what Jen watches to see where I am at. Today in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and England it's Boxing Day, which means any minute Jen and I are going to fight. Also today it's Kwanzaa, so we not what Obama is celebrating today. By the way, I just realized that this entry is the last entry for '08. Man, this year went by so fast.

THE PEVERETT PHILE TOP TEN LIST

From the home office in Groveland, Florida, where it's 85 degrees right now, here is this week's top ten list.

Dictator Mao Tse-tung born in Hunan province.1980Richard Chase, the "Vampire of Sacramento" who drank the blood of two of his six victims, commits suicide on death row by overdosing on hoarded medication.1985"Gorillas in the Mist" author Dian Fossey killed with machete in Africa.1996The body of Jon Benet Ramsey is found beaten and strangled in the Boulder, Colorado home of John and Patsy Ramsey. Her skull had an 8 inch crack, and the child's mouth was covered with duct tape. In late 1997 it was leaked to the media that a Taser gun may have been involved in the killing. The family remains under an "umbrella of suspicion": Jon Benet's body was found only after police searched the house, and John Ramsey tainted the crime scene by moving the body. The garrote used in strangulation was made from one of Patsy's paintbrushes. A rough draft of the ransom note was found on Patsy's notepad. Handwriting comparisons between the note and the mother remain inconclusive. In any event, the Ramsey's treatment of the six year old child by entering her in beauty contests dressed like a young adult nymph is perverse.2004A 9.15 magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Sumatra unleashes a series of powerful tsunamis. Just under 230,000 people are either killed or missing. The Sumatra-Andaman earthquake affects a huge geographical area from Indonesia to Bangladesh to Somalia, even triggering earthquakes in Alaska.

FLORIDA: AMERICA'S WANG

A 27-year-old Deltona woman told authorities she bit her husband's penis because she didn't want to have sex with him. Charris Bowers was arrested Saturday by a Volusia County sheriff's deputy, accused of misdemeanor battery. A judge set her free Sunday without requiring her to post bail. Her husband, Delou Bowers, today would not comment. According to a sheriff's office report, the Bowerses had been to a bar Friday night. Delou Bowers told authorities that when they got home, his wife began to perform oral sex on him but then began to bite his penis. He tried to stop her, he told a deputy, but she kept at it. He then began to punch her in the head and pushed her to the floor, and she let go, according to the arrest report. Charris Bowers gave the officer two versions of what happened. She first said she was sitting on the couch when her husband walked over and put his penis in her mouth, according to the report. "She then bit it to get him away from her," the report said. She later said her husband walked over with his penis exposed, and she bit it. Either way, the deputy saw the injury, photographed it then arrested Mrs. Bowers. (Thanks to the Orlando Sentinel for that article).

SOMEONE PHAMOUS HAS DIED

Eartha Kitt: She sang "Santa Baby," and died on Christmas. Man, do I love irony.

YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT'S NOT PHOTOSHOPPED

This melting building is actually just a regular building covered in a huge tarp with the Dali-esque design painted on it. It's covering an apartment building undergoing renovation in Paris.Hats off to the French. In a single stroke they hide unsightly construction and fool all passersby into thinking someone spiked their espresso. Now if they could only figure out why people keep plowing their cars into buildings undergoing renovation in Paris.

CANNED LAUGHTER

A passenger plane on a cross-country trip runs into a terrible storm. The plane gets pounded by rain, hail, wind and lightening. The passengers panic, certain that the plane is going to crash and they are all going to die. At the height of the storm, a young woman jumps up and exclaims, “I can’t take this anymore! I can’t just sit here and die like an animal, strapped to a chair. If I am going to die, let me die feeling like a woman. Is there anyone here man enough to make me feel like a woman?”

A hand goes up in the back of the plane, and a handsome, tall, muscular man smiles while walking up to her seat. As he approaches her, he takes off his shirt. She sees his huge muscles even in the poor lighting of the plane. He stands in front of her, shirt in hand and says to her, “I can make you feel like a woman before you die. Are you interested?”She eagerly nods her head “Yes!”The man hands her his shirt, and says, “Here. Iron this.”

DISNEY'S AMERICA

Disney wants your sons and grandsons for its new cable channel. Don't worry, Disney isn't recruiting them for some kind of army that will, dare I say it, rule the world. No, the mega-media conglomerate wants them, especially the 'them' that are between the ages of 6-14, to tune into their new cable network. Well, not 'new' in the sense that there's currently a blank space where the network will be. More like 'new' in the sense that they are re-branding one of their current properties. Beginning in February, Toon Disney will morph into the newly named Disney XD. There won't be any "High School Musical" or "Hannah Montana" on this Disney network. Instead, this multi-platform brand will feature both live-action and animated fare that appeals to the mud-eating, snot-blowing, rough-and-tumble crowd of boys, tweens and teens. In addition to current Toon Disney fare like Jetix, there will be a number of new shows on XD as well. The new offerings include "Aaron Stone", about a video gaming teen who is secretly being trained as a super agent; "Zeke & Luther", a mockumentary about two skateboarders and their quest to become the best in the world; and "Kid Knievel", an animated show about a young boy trying to become the world's greatest daredevil. Now, for those of you girls who fear that they will be turned off by the XD shows, don't worry. Heck, you aren't even welcome to step on XD's door mat (Think of a big 'NO GIRLZ ALLOWED' sign on the door). That's okay, because you still have Disney Channel, which will become Lifetime for the tween crowd and continue to air programs that appeal to the female in everyone.

WHO WATCHES THE WATCHMEN?

Yikes -- Warner Bros. obviously landed on Santa's naughty list this year. The New York Times reports that the judge has ruled in favor of Fox Studios. Sayeth the Honorable Judge Feess "Fox owns a copyright interest consisting of, at the very least, the right to distribute the Watchmen motion picture." This comes as quite a surprise since last I heard, the judge didn't have enough information to make a ruling, and was moving the trial to January 20th. Judge Feess indicated he would make a more detailed ruling soon. Warner Bros. has declined to comment, and as of now, has not backed off the film's planned release date of March 6. I can hear you all crying (and I hope it's in your very best Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer voice) "There goes Watchmen, and there goes Christmas!" But it's highly doubtful Watchmen will lose its release date. There's no need to panic. Feess advised Fox and Warner Bros to look towards a settlement or appeal. "The parties may wish to turn their efforts from preparing for trial to negotiating a resolution of this dispute or positioning the case for review." So, expect a major payoff from Warner Bros. (and maybe those rumored Batman television show rights) to Fox in order that we'll still be at that March 6th show. And you thought a lump of coal was bad.

CHECK OUT MY PHRIENDS

So, what do you think of my interviews, eh? Don't forget to keep checking their websites.

Well, that about does it for 2008 with the Phile... except for the interviews. Here's the line up, pholks. Tomorrow night I will post the interview with Lindsay Rush, a singer from Pennsylvania. Then on Sunday, the interview with the legendary Webb Wilder. More news after that. So, until then, spread the word, not the turd.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Hi there, Merry Christmas Eve, and welcome to another entry of the Peverett Phile Interviews. Today we have the hot rocker Tish Meeks from the band 3 Kisses. So, Phile phans, here's Tish.

Me: Hello, Tish, thanks for agreeing to be interviewed for my blog, I really appreciate it. Okay, first let me say, Tish, you look like the genuine real rocker chick, which is hard to come by nowadays. I take it you like to party.

Tish: I don't do anything half-assed. I like to work hard and I like to play hard. Balance is very important, so we definitely have to make some time for friends, parties and lots of Jager shots.

Me: Where did the name 3 Kisses come from? There's four of you in the band, so maybe one member doesn't get kissed.

Tish: I'm married to our guitarist, Tony, and we have two kids. When we started 3 Kisses, my son Benji was 3-years-old. When we'd tuck him in at night and kiss him goodnight he'd say, "No mom, one kiss isn't enough...I want 3 Kisses." So, he's responsible for the band name.

Me: How did the band come together?

Tish: Tony and I started writing music together when we were dating. We'd sit down to play guitar together and we never wanted to play the same things. We decided we should just write our own music. We were living in California then. After the kids were born, we moved back to Texas (where I am originally from) and started 3 Kisses in 2004. We've gone through a lot of drummers and bass players and finally found the right guys in January of this year. Sean and Brian both have the talent, level of dedication and we are all very good friends. We're told all the time that we have great chemistry onstage and I think that's because we all just get along so well.

Me: Your husband is one of the band members, right? Do you both write the music together.

Tish: Tony and I did all the songwriting until Sean and Brian came along. Now, it's more of a group effort.

Me: I downloaded all your music that's on iTunes, and I want to thank you for naming the last CD after me... "Nutjob." Seriously, who is the CD named after?

Tish: Ha! A lot of people seem to relate to Nut Job. Everyone either knows someone who's a Nut Job or they are one themselves. The song was inspired by a couple of different people, one of which I can't discuss for legal reasons and the other I refuse to discuss because I don't want to get stalked and/or killed.

Me: From the first CD to the last, how has the band's music changed?

Tish: We really had no idea what we were doing with the first CD. We were still learning. But, my opinion has always been it's better to do something than nothing, so we just forged ahead with what we had. Tony wanted us go in a more mellow alt direction, so that's how we started, but it was totally unnatural for me. I've always been a rocker chick and as I got more comfortable on stage, the music evolved more in that direction. Josh Tallerine was our drummer for 2006 and he did a lot to shape the sound, too. We were all over the place until Josh came on board and it was while he was in the band that we settled on "Texas Party Punk" to define our sound. The new CD that we're releasing on Rat Pak Records (www. ratpakrecords. com) in February 2009 is by far our best work both performance-wise and production-wise. We're all very proud of this work. Took us awhile, but we finally got it right!

Me: 3 Kisses is from Texas. What can you tell the Phile readers about your town and the music scene there?

Tish: We live halfway between Austin and Houston, so we're in an ideal location. Everyone will tell you their local scene sucks, but I think it is what you make of it. We have some very cool venues we play at and the fans are great. In fact, just this past weekend we had a bunch of girls flashing the band throughout the show and I got fed way too many Jager shots. The fans are great here...Texans really know how to party!

Me: You recently played in Florida, did you take your daughter to Disney?

Tish: We don't take the kids on tour with us. It's just way too grueling and would be so hard on them. When 3 Kisses gets bigger and we are touring in a bus instead of a cramped van, we will homeschool them and take them on the road. But for now, we have a nanny and they go to public school.

Me: So, what was the band doing on "Wife Swap"? Was that a fun experience? It gave you great exposure I bet.

Tish: "Wife Swap" contacted us. They were looking for a mom in a band and found out that Tony and I were married and both in the band. We decided to do the show because we thought it would be a fun experience as well as great exposure for the band. It turned out to be both. We got tons of e-mails, made a lot of new fans and we're friends with the family we 'swapped' with. They are very different from us in many ways, but we have a lot more in common than you would think.

Me: I saw a picture of you with Buck Dharma from BOC. I know him pretty good, as my dad was friends of him. Buck's a really nice guy. How did you get to meet him?

Tish: We played the "Hawgs of Texas" Biker Rally at Lake Somerville, TX and BOC was the headliner. Since 3 Kisses was playing, we got to hang out backstage. Buck was nice enough to stop for a photo with us. They were amazing.

Me: What's been the coolest band you ever opened for? And the worse...

Tish: We work with a lot of cool bands. It would be hard to pick just one. And as far as the worst, I have this thing about not talking shit about other artists....it's just not cool. :-)

Me: It seems you drink a lot of Jager. I never tried the stuff, I am more of a beer drinker. Anyway, 3 Kisses has a sponsorship from Jager. How did that come about? By the way, I tried to get the Phile sponsored by Zoloft. LOL.

Tish: We are big beer drinkers, too. We have a sponsorship with a local Miller distributor, but Jager is pretty much the only liquor we drink. I sent Adam Grayer at Jagermusic a TON of pictures of us doing shots with fans and such and he offered us an introductory sponsorship. We didn't get custom merch right away. Now, they do custom shirts, posters, shot glasses, etc. for us. We promote them and they promote us. I still send them a ton of pictures and let them know we're holding up our end of the deal. I'm not sure drug companies do sponsorship deals. LOL

Me: Tish, I am sorry to hear about your mom passing away from breast cancer. Fuck Cancer is what I say. I lost both of my parents from cancer in 2000, and started doing a lot of writing. Has your music changed since the passing, or did it stay the same?

Tish: Yeah, cancer sucks. It's the worst. I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy. I'm sorry to hear about your parents passing. My mom passed away before I started the band, but losing her definitely shaped my life in many ways. A lot of it came down to making a decision to be the person she raised me to be. She would not have wanted to see me screw up my whole life, although it could have easily gone that way. It was a conscious effort for a long time to stay positive and focused.

Me: There's a story about you in one of the Chicken Soup books. Was that hard to do?

Tish: The story was tough to write. But I'm glad I did it. It was therapeutic for me and it allowed me to memorialize my mom and use my experience to be a positive influence on other people.

Me: I looked at your influences, and I don't mean Jager... and was glad to see Bowling For Soup is one of them. I just interviewed Erik, the bass player for the Phile. Also, Social D is one of my all time favorite bands. Do you know anybody that made it in the music business that has you as an influence? I bet there's a lot of new bands that saw you rock been influenced by you. Maybe Avril saw you in concert.

Tish: I actually mentor several bands. I try to do what I can to help young bands who are just getting started because I know how tough it is and if I can save them time and money, that's just a good thing to do. So many people have helped us along the way and I don't take that for granted one bit.

Me: Here's a question I ask all my interviewees... what is your favorite Foghat song?

Tish: I guess I'd have to say "Slow Ride" Is that cheesy?

Me: Have you ever opened up for Foghat?

Tish: No, but I've seen them at a biker rally in California.

Me: Let's talk about tattoos... I know you have a drawing your daughter did, which is a cute idea, do you have any more? I have four myself, and want to get a fifth.

Tish: I have eight tattoos and I'm going to get more, for sure. I have a fish on my left ankle, two crosses with a heart on fire on my right ankle, the GoGirls Music logo my right calf, the picture my daughter drew on the outside of my left calf, my Paul Reed Smith McCarty on my left shin, the trinity on my right arm, the archangel Raphael in angelic script on my left arm and a tribal cross on my back. I love tattoos. :-)

Me: So, what are your plans for 2009? Any news music? Any more tours?

Tish: We just signed with Rat Pak Records following our Florida tour in September. We just finished recording the new album in October. We've got two awesome producers we're working with. Eric LaBrosse at Cherry Pit Studios in Milwaukee, WI did our album and we're also working with Dan Workman at SugarHill Studios in Houston, TX. We're constantly writing, so there's always new music. We have 3 songs to complete with Dan and we're going to be doing some more recording with Eric in January. We also have plans to shoot a couple of music videos after the first of the year, then we'll be playing as many shows as possible. We've got the CD release in February, so we're going to be out promoting that. We'll be heading up to the Northeast sometime in the Spring and we're touring in Germany in November with our friends Nude L.N. We'll be updating the website often with new tour dates, so everyone should check it often! :-)

Me: Tish, I wish you a lot of luck, and hope to see the band next time you hit Florida.

Tish: Thanks so much for interviewing me.

You can check out the 3 Kisses at 3kisses.com.

Have a good Christmas tomorrow and the Phile will be back on Friday with the normal weekly update, then on Saturday it's the Lindsay Rush interview. So, until then, spread the word, not the turd.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Hello, welcome to the most updated blog on the internet. Today's interview is with the legendary Jeff Cameron. Ladies and gents, here's Jeff.

Jeff: First off Jason if this is to talk about spaghetti in a can I try and avoid that kind of controversy. But I will say I don't think its invention is a direct result of the Maori hunting the Moa to extinction. Now about Yer pops live great! Anybody who would let Black Oak Arkansas open for them live is brave indeed! Hillbillies in long underwear prancing around hard to follow but Lonesome Dave did it! I do not have a tattoo that says Pete Townshend Rules. I do not have Angelina Jolies phone number quit asking. Though I must say I saw her father eat a sandwich in a deli once. I like the double wham of "Slow Ride" followed by the "Fool for the City" album (which even had keyboards) strong back to back punch--I believe that was there fourth and fifth studio albums? Yes? Yes you can come surfing with us but only if you bring chips and pretty girls. I'm not speaking to Gary and Dave of the Jeff Cameron band because Gary and I had a big blow up over my vocal sound on the reunion song CHOCOLATE AND TEARS---Dave Sutton just keeps saying I play with Lucinda Williams and I'm above all this! And Gary just says can I have another slice of pizza its delicious. I contacted the original producer of the WHO for a follow up to CHOCOLATE AND TEARS but even though he isn't burning up the charts for the last forty years he wants big bucko's! Will they read this interview in Germany I have been looking for a strong German girl who knows how to take charge. Submarines ahoy ! Dr licorice pump and rise, pump and rise! We must lift the balloon above the time conundrum before Moriarty's minions gain our trail! Quickly man Quickly! Or British Cordroy and the lost Lennon demo's may be lost for ever! Your questions please?

Me: Hello, Jeff, yes, The questions... So how are you?

Jeff: Fine who are you again. No! LOL I'm fine Jason say may I borrow your tie the polkadots are esquisite! How are you doing!

Me: I won't talk about Spaghetti in a can, but have you heard of an omlette on stick ?

Jeff: No take me please it sounds mouthwatering do they make double cheese with peppers

Me: Jeff, tell the readers of the Phile who you are. A little history lesson, so to speak.

Jeff: I was born in LA in the sixties in a suburban area it was a glorius time for Southern Cal! My friend Jim Podolor my neighbor his Uncle was the record producer for Three Dog Night and Steppenwolf and Iron Butterfly, Black Oak Arkansas and Alice Cooper and some others. He did some big surf hits before that Let there be drums and Teen beat. SO the studio was just a few blocks from our houses and the neighborhood kids including me got interested hanging around the biggest groups of the day. We even sang on some of those songs featuring kids in the chorus! I decided this is for me! At first Jim and I had a band playing sockhops at the high school and what not then when I was about seventeen I started writing with Mike Curtis he wrote "Southern Cross" for Crosby Stills and Nash and "Blue Letter" for Fleetwood Mac... we started writing and recording together and Thom Mooney a great drummer who had been in the Nazz with Todd Rundgren was recruited to play drums! I made my first record "BE SOMEBODY" a big flop!" After a while that fizzled out and I kept at it a few years later I got a call from Richie Podolor the Three Dog Night and Steppenwolf producer! We assembled the Jeff Cameron band cut some singles and albums I went over to MCA Records for a time and I was on my way! The Album "OUT OF THE BLUE" partially produced by Podolor is still available and some MCA singles as well.

Me: So, Jeff, tell me about your band who is in it and what name do you go by.

Jeff: I go by Jeff Cameron, Jason. Lets see the Jeff Cameron band formed at Richie Podolors suggestion was me vocals, songwriting and some guitar, bass keyboards. Gary Cambra backround vocals Lead Guitar, Keyboards. Dave Sutton bass, sometime backround vocals, Steve Klong Drums and sometime in the beginning Paul Mirkovich Keyboards. TODAY ON THE REUNION SINGLE - First Steve Klong died after a long battle with cancer just before we cut the tracks and he had been very ill for quite a while, I had hoped to involve him but there was no way. So it was Me Gary and Dave and we used a combination of drum machines and a session drummer in Gary's living room in San Francisco and Dave was on the road with the great LUCINDA WILLIAMS so he emailed his bass parts from his motel room on the road!

Me: You haven't done anything musically in twelve years, right? What did you do in that time?

Jeff: I chilled out raised my son for a couple years before he went back to his mom, I traveled the road like Jack Kerouac! I lived in the Mountains of Colorado and worked in a tea factory! I lived on the beach in San Diego I lived by the casinos in Las Vegas I may have had one or two torrid affairs with hot women who called me baby or daddy or something! You know I did three albums back to back that I was proud of and they didn't do that well so I ya know I quit to drink booze and screw chicks. Surely you understand? But here I am! Do you have any more pretzels?

Me: Where in California do you live? I hope the fires weren't near you.

Jeff: My childhood home is one block off Ventura Blvd in Sherman Oaks near Woodman. Right in the cool zone that straddles Studio City/Sherman Oaks.

Me: Do you live by Topanga ? I was just there in November visiting a friend ate in a small cafe and went shopping at this place with a big dinosaur on the roof that sold antiue crap.

Jeff: Pump and Rise Dr Licorice the terra cotta dinosaur has been spotted! Inflate and rise! Quickly man before the gateway to the alternate Universe is closed forever! Helmsman three quarters ahead quickly Moriaty's minons are snapping at our heels! Oh sorry ! I grew up about eight to ten miles east of Topanga. I used to ride horses there in the sixties with my cousins. I lived at the beach side on the bottom for two years when my dad took an apartment there in 1966 and I was very small. The recording studio where we cut a lot of Jeff Cameron is located there and in fact it snowed one night and we built snowmen at five am after a session for WELCOME TO THE PERFECT WORLD. Last time I was up there I had to go by Richie Podolors studio and borrow fifty bucks and sleep in my car up there by that scary country store.

Me: Let's talk about your CD... when will I be able to download it on iTunes and what can you tell us about it?

Jeff: Well, Jason, the new album was supposed to be a whole album but I haven't recieved any funding besides the two new songs and one more bonus track... so unless somebody comes across with a little recording money it will be the two (or three) new tracks as bonus tracks. Along with two old albums which will be rereleased "OUT OF THE BLUE" and "WELCOME TO THE PERFECT WORLD" the new songs are CHOCOLATE AND TEARS, FEELS LIKE VAN GOGH AND I may use one I did called "GETTING IN GEAR" If we get funding I will go ahead and quickly record six or eight more for a full album. Gary and I had a big row over CHOCOLATE AND TEARS because I didn't like the vocal sound and he wouldn't give me the masters to remix them! And I wanted to flesh out the track with more vocals and keyboards, I thought it was too stripped down and he liked it the way it was. Sutton doesn't even wanna talk about it! I asked Chuck Negron from Three Dog Night to add a high vocal harmony but he is avoiding me! So within a year two old albums, three new bonus tracks and maybe more!

Me: Tell me about your new songs Jeff, the new single is called "CHOCOLATE AND TEARS". What is the inspiration behind that song?

Jeff: Um well on the surface its about a broken relationship, but its about images of my lifereally. When I sing say Jeremiahs friend sang incredibly high times were changin but I didin't know why thats remembering Chuck Negron singing JEREMIAH WAS A BULLFROG in that high key he chose to sing the song in , and the fan mania around the studio at that time. Also about how Chuck had his terrible substance abuse problem at that time so you know a double entendre about Chuck just my memories of things I witnessed. When I sing Standing in a doorway of black and white Johhny L strolls the blvd still in the fight... The black and white doorway was movie star Burt Lancaster and he had this white beard and he would stand in this doorway at the beacg smoking and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys would take his morning walk one way and I would walk the other and Burt Lancaster stood there watching these two wounded rock warriors from another generation while he smoked! And Johhny L strolls the Blvd still in the fight is a memory of John Lennon during his lost weekend of 74 when we would often see him strolling Ventura Blvd window shopping. So the song you know is about snapshots of rocknroll and then snapshots of this girl I later lost therefore later I say Chocolate and tears is all that I gave her I'm just a dude with a misspent life. So you know its my autobiographcal travelogue song! Not great lyrics neccesarily but truthful real and full of imagry! I didin't like the EQ on the mix thats what I argued with Gary about needed to roll off the bass on my voice and boost it around four kilohertz and add a few colorful overdubs to accent the story more. Van Gogh was just a richie Podolor style riff and groove I liked. I liked the imagry of that too um if I send you an ear will you take a look in my direction! Anything to get her attention! You know ?

Me: Okay please tell me about the Papa Harry dialogues. Is that a true story? LOL!

Jeff: Say chum have you a back scratcher and some hard candy! What was that did you hear that? Is that the german girl you promised where is she! Oh sorry, Papa Harry is just a fictional detective serial I have started and post on my blog, done in that Humphrey Bogart forties style. Case of The flaming SHISKEBAB! That came about because my oldest boyhood chum Randy his father was this overbearing sometimes crude old bowery NEW YORK detective novelist named Jerome Gollard. His award winning book was called "THE GREAT CHASM" and this guy really talked like the dialogue in that story I wrote. So it was just fun and a hommage to this detective novelist that was my friends dad in Sherman Oaks thats all. Now my Dr Licorice stories about the inflatable blimp in an alternate universe trying to keep Moriarty from stealing the Lost Lennon demos! Now I love that and would love to turn it into a SGT PEPPER YELLOW SUBMARINE kind of movie and soundtrack!

Me: Have you heard of Graham Parker, the singer? When he writes its very similar to your style.

Jeff: Yes it was a lot of work teaching him what I know LOL--no actually around 1980 he had an album with something escalator in the album title! Loved it. I went and saw him live at the WHISKEY when that album was out excellent craftsman! At that time Joe Jackson had Sunday Papers and Look Sharp out and John Hiatt of course! They were vying for the Elvis Costello audience I think! I'm somewhat like Parker and Hiatt or those type of guys but I go a little more for the poppy overdubs and three minute jangle! Or I used to say did you just shove a thermometer up my bum what is that? Hey! Let go of me let go! Hey.

Me: Congrats on your art exhibition, Jeff, it was in Ohio right? How did it go? Was that the Four Hundred Cans of Tuna? How did you get that name? Well the name was inspired by something Gary Cambra did one day. We were rehearsing for a show at the Roxy and the five of us were coming back from break these freakish rock band people and we were stopped at a red light in this fire red old panel truck, IN BURBANK which is very conservative and these two oldladies with print dresses looked with disgust at us with our earrings and long hair and Gary leaned out the passenger side and said to the ladies and I quote "ITS ONLY AN INCH LONG BUT ITS FAT AS A CAN OF TUNA" And then the light turned green and we zoomed off in our hippie red truck leaving the women aghast at the intersection in their Dodge Dart! The substance was just you know exhibition art inspired by Yoko Ono with her Nail in the Apple on top of a ladder sort of thing thats all.

Me: You have Roger McGuinn as a friend on Myspace. He lives not far from here in Florida. I am trying to get an interview with him. If I do what is the one question I must ask him.

Jeff: I think the thermometer broke its not glass is it. Oh sorry um ask him if he, Hillman and Crosby will cut a few more reunion tracks before they get to old. Or um if thats rude just ask him something stupid like what is chestnut mare about... Or ask him why he changed his name to Roger----just ask him about more reunion tracks!

Me: So, Jeff do you have any famous friends? If so who? And can you hook me up with any interviews?

Jeff: Yes and I wont say and probably. Check your emails my son!

Me: So, what is your favorite Foghat song, Jeff?

Jeff: Oh um I have more than one, "Slow Ride", "Fool For The City", "I Just Want To Make Love to You", "Third Time Lucky". How can I pick just one, JASON. Classics Jason yer pops did classics lots of em! Say do you know how to play three card monty let uncle Jeff teach you now pick a card wait wait wait you wanna win twenty dollars dont you ! OK OK OK OK so just pick the right card and you get twenty for ten the money plays make room for that German girl Jason ok ok ok cigarettes! Mr Demille we're ready for our close up now ok ok ok ok the money plays.

Me: What do you think of the interview so far? Is it better or worse than you expected.

Jeff: Well I dunno really are you gonna finish that? I dunno about the thermometer Jason is the German girl about to get it ? You did promise you know you did. Its better than I expected Jason .

Me: Are you planning on touring Florida? If so we have to get together!

Jeff: Take your hand off my knee lad! No I don't think we are planning to tour Florida but you know if you could start a movement to make us popular there and find a risque German girl perhaps I will change my mind! Generally I am more popular on the west coast upper East and UK. Perhaps you could help me write one they would like in Florida oh wait I know... Well I lost my gator and pappys gonna beat me cause now we aint got no supper! But thats okay cause I love my Mother so pappy spends time beatin my brother God bless General Lee and some Gator taters aint nothin bettern seein your waiter comin to your table with some piping hot gator Its a good life oh yeah its a good life in Dixie Its a good life for somebodys ramblin boy its a good life in Dixie Ok gotta second verse! okay okay okay LICORICE QUICKLY BRING THE PRINCESS ABOVE DECKS FOR INTERROGATION QUICKLY MAN BEFORE THE THREAD TO THE ALTERNATE UNIVERSE IS LOST AND WE ARE TRAPPED IN THESE GODFORSAKEN ICE FIELDS FOREVER QUICKLY MAN QUICKLY

Me: Jeff, I ran out of questions my friend. So you sure you don't have Angelina's phone number?

Jeff: That depends is she German ? I kept calling but some irratated man kept cursing and saying who is this!

Me: Do you have any advice you can give about the music business?

Jeff: Um tell them you are part of Rod Stewarts advance team and you want the best room in the house! UM Do it because you love music and any money you might make is a bonus. Occasionally I have had the pleasure to say on playback oh thats nice I like that one. Thats why I did it and thats a good reason. If its just for money or glamour then thats part of the problem then, isn't it!

Me: Jeff take care, and thanks for doing this. When your CD comes out, if you want, I'll interview you again.

Jeff: Is the German girl wearing a uniform of any kind? Ok Jason its been a pleasure but the chips are rather stale do you have any herbal iced tea and a hawaiin shirt I might borrow ?lets get some flipflops and trudge up the sand looking for German girls what say you brother! Talley ho ! Onward. Please tell everyone to demand CHOCOLATE AND TEARS BY JEFF CAMERON. Bye Jason, its been a pleasure.

Oh, boy. What a crazy interview. My head is spinning. To listen to Jeff's great music go to his site http://www.myspace.com/jeffcameronsingsagain. Come back tomorrow for the interview with Tish Meeks from 3 Kisses, then have a good Christmas. Remember, spread the word, not the turd.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Hello, welcome to the most updated blog on the web, now with interviews, and more posts then ever. This entry's interview is with not one, not two, but three pholks. They are the members of the band Pro Audio. Jason "Fish" Fischer, Bri Dellinger and Paul Withers. So, Phile phans, I bring you... Pro Audio.

Me: First things first, where did you come up with that name, Pro Audio? I typed in a search for the band on Google and got all this recording equipment pages.

Jason: John came up with the name. I don’t know what his inspiration was. It’s not a very savvy name in the Google age, but I liked it when I joined the band, and had no urge to change it. I will say that the name has been a curse at live shows. Lots of equipment failures.

Me: You're based in L.A., but where does the band originally come from?

Jason: I'm from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania originally. I moved to L.A. to go to film school at USC which I just finished paying for after ten years of massive monthly student loan payments. John was a year ahead of me in the film school, but I never met him there. But I think I saw his old ska band One Legged Bob play at a party once and get shut down by the cops. John is from Phoenix, AZ.

Bri: I'm from Stockton, California. Oh, never heard of it? It's a gigantic suburb smack dab in the middle of the state. The kind of place that got giddy when Wal-Mart moved in. I moved to LA to study film production and stuck around to edit reality TV and play in an awesome, yet underrated indie rock band.

Paul: from Houston... and yes...I did own a pair of cowboy boots once. But Houston is far more famous as the expendable city wiped off the map in the movie Independence Day.

Me: How did you all meet each other? And a band with a member named Jason can't be a bad thing, unless you're Seven Mary Three.

Jason: I was trolling through music classifieds and found a website John had with five lo-fi demos on it as well as a funny animated robot thing. I initially didn't think we were quite a match, but those demos got stuck in my head so I responded and we met up. We were both willing to play in a band with two songwriters and singers and liked each other's music. John enlisted a friend he grew up with, Ryan Thomson, to play drums. We played shows, recorded an album called Saturday We're Even… and somewhere in there John went to New Zealand for a year. When he returned, we realized we needed a fourth band member to play all the glockenspiel, banjo, and extra keyboard, and to sing all the girl parts that were on the album so John found Bri who was a friend of a friend and who played oboe and bought a banjo on craigslist. While we started writing new songs for our second album, Ryan decided he didn't want to keep committing time to the band so he left amicably and John found Paul through work. They were both editors on "Big Brother" or something. Paul practiced with us once and then got enlisted to start recording before he realized he was even in the band. And as for the name “Jason,” I’m blanking on any well known bands with a Jason in the group. Oh wait, there’s Jason Schwartzman of Coconut Records/Phantom Planet/Rushmore fame.

Paul: At work, John constantly begged me to join his 'band'. So I finally went to jam with them...thinking it would go nowhere. Well, needless to say, it was a pretty intensely badass, hair-on-fire session. And then I never heard a single peep from these guys for months... so it's true...I really was in the band for months without even knowing it.

Me: Okay, the first thing that got me noticing the band was when I was searching iTunes and I came along your song titles, which are the most creative. Who writes the songs, and I bet you have fun coming up with different titles.

Jason: John and I have been the primary songwriters, splitting things pretty much down the middle. He brings half the songs and I bring the other half. Bri contributed her first song, "F.U. Robot" to our latest album Make the Happiness Stop. All four of us are planning to write material for our future albums. In addition, even if I bring a song, John often ends up writing the bass part, Bri will often write a keyboard, oboe, or banjo part, Paul will write the drum and percussion parts, and we'll work together on harmonies. And I'll often write guitar or keyboard parts for the stuff John brings in. So it's pretty collaborative, though the primary songwriter generally has veto power. I often write songs around a concept, so the titles come out of that. Our latest album seemed to get a bit into Sufjan Stevens territory with the overly verbose song titles.

Paul: These guys are so humble.. if you must know, each song is pretty much a follow along...Jason will play one note, and then John will play one. (or vice versa, depending on who's inspired enough that day to have thought up that first note on the car ride over.) Then Bri or I will jump in, and play the next note. So, basically, each tune is meticulously crafted, note by note.. . some tunes are literally years in the making. This also explains why some of them are only 30 seconds--strangely it has proven to be a pretty tedious why to compose...

Me: "F.U. Robot", ''King of Awkward Conversations" (which could be my them song), and "The Night I Punched Dracula in the Face" are some of my favorite songs. What are the stories behind them?

Jason: Well, "F.U. Robot" is Bri's, so I'll leave it to her. "King of Awkward Conversations" was just a concept that popped into my head due to my lack of social graces, though there are two other people who fit that bill who I based the song on too. Just people who would walk up to me and say hello upon which I would then have to carry the dialogue lest it drop into absolute silence. People who just seem to specialize in awkward dips in conversations. I actually wrote the song pretty quickly, and it helped that I could use lots of regal imagery and stuff in the lyrics. Then I couldn't come up with an ending, so I just made it into a love song. "The Night I Punched Dracula in the Face" has sort of a funny story behind it. Back when Ryan was in the band and John was overseas, I emailed Ryan to ask him how to post MP3's on a website. I'm light years behind Ryan, John, and Bri in terms of computer literacy. Anyway, Ryan sent me the html code I needed to post a song using a=href "draculapunch.mp3" and "The Night I Punched Dracula in the Face" as an example. Even though Ryan had just tossed off the title as a gag, I thought it was an incredible name for a song, so I vowed to write it. Months later when John was back and the three of us met for our first practice, I had only the first two lines of the song written; "Grandpa was looking much, much paler than usual. And I knew something was wrong. Sleeping in the basement all day long." I spent months hammering the song out part by part based around a story about a guy who is dating a girl whose ex-boyfriend is Dracula. I'm not sure if people get that story when they listen (John at one point promoted the song saying that it was about a guy whose grandpa IS Dracula), but I'm pretty proud that the song lived up to its epic title.

Bri: FU Robot came about from this great podcast I used to listen to, named DailySonic. They had an old-timey radio segment called "Fuck You Robot" that was introduced by what is now the chorus to the song. They invited anyone who wanted to, to cover the song and add to it. I finally did it... a year after the podcast had retired itself. Poor timing on my part, but I think it turned out well anyway. I need to note that despite the title of the song, I do love robots and I hope that robot research continues so that someday we may yet have a Robot Army vs. Humans battle for the earth. Or at least a robot can make me breakfast or be my penpal or something.

Me: Why are some of your songs so short?

Jason: Well, we tend to write some epically long songs, so I think it's a reaction to that. In fact I think on our next album, I'm at least trending toward writing songs that top out around three and a half minutes rather than five and a half or seven. It now just hit me that you might be asking about the little interstitials between songs on our new album. If you listen closely, those are bits of the songs played with different instrumentation. We put them in there because we wanted to make a big nerdy prog rock concept album.

Paul: Well, if you must know...This really has to do with the price of hard drive going up in price, inversely to oil I take it. So you pretty much have to pick and choose your verses and choruses when you're at the end of a drive.

Me: Looking at your website, ProAudioband.com, you have no gigs lined up. Are you going on tour, and do you ever play outside California?

Jason: We have never played outside of California. We have no tour in the works because we can't really afford to at the moment. Beyond that I've developed a case of stage fright that will probably keep us off the stage for the foreseeable future and in the studio. Though if there was a huge demand to see us play, then I might be willing to give it another shot.

Paul: Plus we're waitin on John to get our veggie-powered tour bus off the blocks.

Q: I want a t-shirt, damn it. Who came up with that cool looking robot drawing? I have been working on a Peverett Phile t-shirt for Cafe Press for two years now.

Jason: That's all John. He does lots of cool art stuff. He did most of the art and layout for both our albums which impressed the hell out of me. Bri and her boyfriend Iain also do really good art-related stuff. Bri designed our website and made a flash animation music video for our song “Sean, We Were Uncool.”

Bri: There is more coming from that robot. That's all I'm gonna say. Check back at the new year.

Me: What music does the band listen to? Your music does sound very Beckish.

Jason: Beck is a big favorite of mine (though I think Bri hates him), and people actually used to tell me I looked like Beck when I had long hair in college. Now they tell me I look like Beck's fat uncle or like Mike White. Our musical tastes are all over the board. For me personally I take a lot of Pro Audio inspiration from Quasi, Weezer, Grandaddy, They Might Be Giants, Neutral Milk Hotel, Ben Folds Five, The Rentals, The Decemberists, The Pixies, Radiohead. Though I also listen to lots of folky stuff like The Mountain Goats, Paul Simon, Elliott Smith, Earlimart. Two sort of lesser known bands (though perhaps more well known than us) that have a similar sound are Oucho Sparks and The Clips. For the record, John listens to a variety of stuff some of which is listed above. He likes Damon Albarn, Flaming Lips, Beastie Boys, WeenHe also listens to electronic stuff like Sukpatch and Holland, punk and ska stuff, some old ‘70s rock like Led Zeppelin, and stuff I’m forgetting. Likewise, Paul listens to some of the stuff above and I know he has a soft spot for prog music like Genesis which definitely influenced our latest album. And U2.

Bri: Bri: I don't HATE Beck. I just think he's overrated. The bands that influence my part in Pro Audio are Sufjan Stevens, Rilo Kiley, Weezer, and Grandaddy. Aside from indie rock, I also a lot of electronic music. I'm hoping someday Pro Audio will morph into stadium (French) electronic mega-stars.

Paul: I think it's all about the crooners.

Me: This is a question I ask al l my interviewees... what is the band's favorite Foghat song?

Jason: I'm not as up on my '70s rock as I should be. John or Paul might give a better answer. I guess I'll just be lame and obvious and say "Slow Ride."

Paul: I wish you could ask who my favorite Edgar Winter song is. But if I have to answer... "Fool for the City."

Me: Finally, you read the Phile, in one sentence what do you think?

Jason: I would say The Peverett Phile is a prolific, political, pop-savvy blog that is filled with righteous anger, biting sarcasm, and things that make me laugh.

Me, too. Thanks, guys, for taking time out to do this interview, it was great. The next interview will be posted tomorrow with the legendary Jeff Cameron, then on Wednesday (yes, Christmas Eve) join me for an interview with Tish Meeks, the lead singer of the band 3 Kisses. The Phile is off for Christmas, but will be back on Friday with the usual update and then on Saturday the interview with singer Lindsay Rush. Until then, spread the word, and go to iTunes to check out Pro Audio, and tell them the Peverett Phile sent you.